As wedding bells chime in Kurland St. Mary, a motley group of visitors descends on the village—and with a murderer on the prowl, some of them may not be returning home . . .
Lucy Harrington has returned to Kurland St. Mary to help with her friend Sophia Giffin’s wedding. But her homecoming is made disagreeable by the presence of Major Robert Kurland, whose bungled proposal has ruffled Lucy’s composure, and a meddling widow who has designs on her father, the village rector.
Wary of the cloying Mrs. Chingsford from the start, Lucy has doubts about the busybody’s intentions with her father. But everyone else seems to think they make an ideal match—until the courtship is curtailed when Mrs. Chingsford is found dead at the bottom of a staircase. It’s clear that it wasn’t an accident, and in hopes of finding the culprit, Lucy and Robert call a truce and begin scrutinizing the wedding guests.
But the widow left behind plenty of enemies, and when one of them is the next to turn up dead, Lucy and Robert discover that the truth is far more scandalous than anyone could have imagined . . .
Outstanding Praise for Catherine Lloyd and her Kurland St. Mary Mysteries!
“A delightful debut…Readers will hope death returns soon to Kurland St. Mary." —Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Death Comes to the Village
“A pleasant combination of Regency romance and mystery that evokes fond memories of Georgette Heyer.” —Kirkus Reviews on Death Comes to London
Death Comes To Kurland Hall, the third in the Kurland St Mary series, is a superb story blending a fine mystery a charming village setting, light romance, Victorian customs and contemporary feminist themes.
Lucy finds herself again at Kurland Hall for the marriage of Sophia to Andrew, cousin of the lord of Kurland hall, Major Robert Kurland. The Major and Lucy find themselves investigating another death when, during the wedding reception, a guest is found dead at the bottom of a stairwell. The woman, an unlikable gossip, has no shortage of people who want her dead.
A riveting plot that was full of so many twists and turns that I was fooled many times One of the things I enjoy about this book (and the whole series) is that there are such strong female characters, no shrinking violets here. I've seen too many times in books when the female characters faint or cry whenever there's the slightest hint of action; to me, that's never been realistic. While social customs may have been different 200 years ago, I've always doubted that all women were the fragile blossoms typically depicted in books of this period.
I felt at times that the tone of the dialogue didn't always match the time period and location in which the book is set. At some points, I thought it sounded almost Gone With The Wind era southern American rather than Victorian English. I didn't find it objectionable, it's just that this impression distracted me somewhat from the story.
Overall, a truly enjoyable read and I will recommend this and the rest of the series to others.
Many thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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28 September, 2015:
Finished reading
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28 September, 2015:
Reviewed